Sunday, November 14, 2010

Enough: Finding Wisdom and Cultivating Contentment Ecclesiastes 5:10-15 and I Timothy 6:6-10

Introduction
Last week we began our preaching series on the idea of discovering joy through simplicity and generosity as we look at how God calls us to find joy and not to be controlled by money or material possessions. Last week we looked at how dreams can become nightmares, specifically how the pursuit of the “American Dream” can ruin a person's life. Today we are going to look at a few practices we can adopt financially to help us find that wisdom and contentment that God desires for us to have.

Don't Count on Luck
A young man asked an old rich man how he made his money. The old guy fingered his worsted wool vest and said, "Well, son, it was 1932. The depth of the Great Depression. I was down to my last nickel. I invested that nickel in an apple. I spent the entire day polishing the apple and, at the end of the day, I sold the apple for ten cents. "The next morning, I invested those ten cents in two apples. I spent the entire day polishing them and sold them at 5:00 p.m. for 20 cents. I continued this system for a month, by the end of which I''d accumulated a fortune of $1.37. Then my wife''s father died and left us two million dollars." Now you know the secret to getting rich. Choose the right ancestors.

Where Did All Our Money Go?
But most of us are not that lucky and to bet on that kind of luck we know would be foolish. However, we still spend money, by and large, as if we are all going to inherit that kind of money. We spend without any regard for the future. Remember the parable of the prodigal son? From Jesus’ description in Luke 15:11-16, we see that the prodigal son had the habits of squandering and spending with no regard for the future. The word prodigal does not mean someone who wanders away or is lost. It literally means “one who wastes money.” A prodigal is one who wastes money, who is a spendthrift. Many of us struggle with that habit as well. We’re not worried about tomorrow. We want it today. The problem with that kind of thinking is that, for most of us, the “famine” eventually comes. It comes when we have spent everything we have and even a little bit of next year’s income. So we use the credit card and charge it, and we go a little further into debt. Finally, we come to a place where we “find ourselves.” We have nothing left, not even any credit, and we can’t figure out how we are we going to make it.

So what can we do to help prevent this? Here are a few tips. Now most of us do not go out and just throw away huge amounts of money as the prodigal son did. But how many of us do with small amounts? We waste a dollar on this or that, and we forget where it went. Knowing there are many ways we waste money, I want to focus on two primary money-wasters that many of us struggle with. It is not necessary to eliminate these two things all together, but we should think more carefully about how we spend our money.

One is impulse buying. You know buying on a whim with no thought or consideration. This trap is especially prevalent at grocery stores but is used everywhere now a days. Here are some tips for avoiding impulse buying:
  • Never go grocery shopping when you are hungry.
  • Shop for what you need only.
  • Make a list and stick to it; buy what you need and get out of the store!
  • Wait twenty-four hours before purchasing an impulse buy.

Another tip is to limit your eating out.
The issue here is frequency. The average American eats out an average of four times a week.3 By eating out less frequently, we will have more money to save, spend on something more important, or give away.

Who's the Boss?
Can you see how these two little life adjustments can help you begin to eliminate financial stress and increase your chance for joy? We do not exist simply to consume as much as we can and get as much pleasure as we can while we are here on this earth. We have a higher purpose. We need to know and understand our life purpose—our vision or mission or calling—and then spend our money in ways that are consistent with this purpose or calling thereby showing we are in control of our finances and not the other way around. That means being clear about our purpose and calling. The Bible tells us that we were created to care for God’s creation, to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We were created to care for our families and those in need. We were created to glorify God, to seek justice, and to do mercy. Our money and possessions should be devoted to helping us fulfill this calling through the church, missions, and everyday opportunities. Being able to accomplish the greater purposes God has for our lives requires some measure of planning. Taking the time to set goals related to our lives and our finances is crucial if we are to become wise stewards of our God-given resources. I would encourage you to identify two short-term financial goals, two mid-range financial goals, and two long-term financial goals that are aimed at helping you to accomplish your broader life goals. At least one goal in each category should relate specifically to our faith.

Set a Budget/Spending Plan
One way to help you achieve these new goals is to have a budget or spending plan. If you can implement this individually or if you need to turn to a financial advisor, make a plan. A few guidelines to help you in implementing these plans with wisdom and faith are:
  • Pay your tithe and offering first. Put God first in your living and your giving. Give your tithe and offering from the “top” of your paycheck, and then live on whatever remains.
  • Create a budget and track your expenses. Creating a budget is simply developing a plan in which you tell your money what you want it to do. Tracking your expenses with a budget is like getting on the scales: It allows you to see how you are doing and motivates you to be more careful with your expenditures.
  • Simplify your lifestyle (live below your means). This discipline is critical to the success of any financial plan and will be discussed in a moment.
  • Establish an emergency fund. An emergency fund is an account separate from checking or long-term savings that is set aside specifically for emergencies. Financial Advisor, Dave Ramsey recommends beginning with $1,000 and building that to three months’ worth of income.4 When you have this amount, you won’t need to use your credit cards anymore.
  • Pay off your credit cards, use cash/debit cards for purchases, and use credit wisely. As you are building your emergency fund, begin to pay off your credit card debt and start using cash or debit cards for purchases. Some experts suggest starting with the credit card that has the highest interest rate. Others suggest paying down the smallest debt first, experiencing that victory, and applying your payments from the first card to the second, and so on, creating a snowball effect to pay off the cards as soon as possible. Cut up your cards as you pay them down so that you are not trapped or leveraged by your future for present-day pleasure, as the prodigal son was. If you must use a credit card, such as when traveling or making purchases online, be sure to pay off the debt monthly. If you are unable to do this, then it is better for you to cut up your cards and stop using them altogether.
  • Practice long-term savings and investing habits. Saving money is the number-one wise money management principle everyone should practice. We do not save merely for the sake of saving. There is a word for that: hoarding. Hoarding is frowned upon in the Bible as the practice of fools and those who fail to understand the purpose of life. Saving, on the other hand, is meant to be purposeful. There are three types of savings we should have: 1) emergency savings, 2) savings for wants and goals, and 3) retirement savings.

Are You Content?
All of these tips are meant as a means to help you find wisdom. They are practical ideas that we can apply to our lives so that we can find joy through simplicity. One reason we struggle with this wisdom and why we have trouble applying it, is that we tell ourselves we are not content and some people are even perennially discontent.
  • When Discontentment Is a Virtue. There is a certain discontent that God intended us to have causing us to seek the only One who can fully satisfy us. We are meant to yearn to know God more, to cultivate a deeper prayer life, to pursue justice and holiness with increasing fervor, to love others more, and to grow in grace and character and wisdom with each passing day.
  • When Discontentment Destroys. The problem is that those things we should be content with are the very things we find ourselves hopelessly discontented with. For example, we find ourselves discontented with our stuff, our jobs, our churches, our children, and our spouses. God must look down on us and feel the way we feel when we give someone we really care for a special gift and he or she asks for the gift receipt. It’s as if we’re saying to God, “I don’t like what you have given me, God; and I want to trade it in and get something better than what you gave me.”

Four Keys to Cultivating Contentment
The Apostle Paul is an excellent example of contentment. In his letter to the Philippians, he wrote of the “secret” to his contentment (Philippians 4:11-12). Like Paul, we can learn to be content in whatever circumstances we may find ourselves. Four keys, which include the “secret” Paul referred to in his letter, can help us to do that.
  • Four Words to Repeat: “It Could Be Worse”. This is essentially the practice of looking on the bright side or finding the silver lining. It is recognizing that no matter what we may not like about a thing or person or circumstance, we can always find something good to focus on if only we will choose to do so.
  • One Question to Ask: “For How Long Will This Make Me Happy?” So often we buy something, thinking it will make us happy, only to find that the happiness lasts about as long as it takes to open the box. There is a moment of satisfaction when we make the purchase, but the item does not continue to bring satisfaction over a period of time. Many of the things we buy are simply not worth the expense. This is why it is a good idea to try before you buy.
  • Developing a Grateful Heart. Gratitude is essential if we are to be content. The Apostle Paul said that we are to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). A grateful heart recognizes that all of life is a gift. Contentment comes when we spend more time giving thanks for what we have than thinking about what’s missing or wrong in our lives.
  • Where Does Your Soul Find True Satisfaction? The world answers this question by telling us that we find satisfaction in ease and luxury and comfort and money. The Bible, however, answers the question very differently. From Genesis to Revelation, it tells us that we find our satisfaction in God alone. Psalm 63:1 tells us, “O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you. My whole being longs for you”. Jesus said the two most important things we must do are to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37, 39). If we keep our focus on these two things, we will find satisfaction for our souls and lasting contentment.

Five Steps for Simplifying Our Lives
Cultivating contentment in our lives, based on the wisdom we spoke about earlier, will help us accomplish something else, simplicity. Contentment and simplicity go hand in hand. Remember this whole series is about finding joy through simplicity. Real quickly I want to give you five ways to find simplicity.

  • Set a Goal of Reducing Your Consumption, and Live Below Your Means. For example, use canvas bags when you go grocery shopping and refuse any extra packaging, buy generic when possible, set your household thermostat back when you are away. Do some research, share ideas with others, or have a brainstorming session with your family. Look for ways to reduce use and bills.
  • Before Making a Purchase, Ask Yourself, Do I Really Need This? and, Why Do I Want This? These questions will help you to determine the true motivation of your desired purchase. Is it a need, a self-esteem issue, or something else? You may find yourself wrestling with your true motive and decide that your reason for purchasing the item is not a good one.
  • Use Something Up Before Buying Something New.  Take good care of the things you buy and use them until they are empty, broken, or worn out. Buy things that are made to last; and, when buying things that have a short lifespan, spend your money wisely.
  • Plan Low-cost Entertainment That Enriches.  When it comes to choosing entertainment for your family or friends, plan things that are simple and cheap. You’ll be amazed at how much more pleasure you derive from low-cost, simple activities.
  • Ask Yourself, Are There Major Changes That Would Allow Me to Simplify My Life?  Consider selling a car and buying one you pay for in full, downsizing your home, or getting rid of a club membership you don’t use. Ask yourself questions related to your home, possessions, job, and activities to identify some significant changes that will simplify your life. Remember, if you cannot do all the things God is calling you to do and you’re unable to find joy in your life, perhaps it’s time to simplify in some major ways.

Conclusion: Which Tent Will You Live In?
So I ask you, will you live in discon-tent or con-tent-ment? You and you alone determine which “tent” will be yours. You choose it in large part by deciding what life is about by how much self control you use. If you decide that “life does not consist in the abundance of your possessions,” then you are choosing contentment. Choosing contentment means we look to God as our Source, giving thanks for what we have; we ask God to give us the right perspective on money and possessions and to change our hearts each day; we decide to live simpler lives, wasting less and conserving more; and we choose to give more generously. God has a way, a better way, a way for peace, a way for joy. God wants you to be happy, it is now up to you!

No comments:

Post a Comment